This invention pertains to toy doll structure of the animated variety, and in particular, to cable/rotor/linkage structure for moving one or more articulated limbs in such a doll under the influence of an appropriate, on-board drive motor. Especially, the present invention features a unique cable/rotor/leverage mechanism which offers improved mechanical-advantage performance (for example, improved cable performance) in comparison with conventional driving connections that exist between such articulated limbs and such a drive motor. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described herein in conjunction with moving articulated components present in the wrist/hand structure in a toy doll.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, operatively interposed a drive motor (of the kind generally mentioned) and the particular selected articulated wrist/hand components are an elongate cable, and an arrangement of drivingly interconnected rotors and pivoted links, which cooperate during motor-driven pulling and tensing of the cable to effect the desired articulation motion. Such motion, as will be seen, includes a blend of complex and compound translation, rotation and revolution. The end of the cable which is remote from the drive motor is trained in a kind of serpentine fashion around a common-axis, combined pulley gear, whereby tensioning and pulling motion of the cable causes rotation of this pulley/gear. The gear portion in this rotary twosome (pulley/gear) is drivingly interconnected with one or more additional rotary elements, and therethrough to plural linkage structure that is operatively and drivingly connected to the wrist/hand structure. This linkage structure (which herein also economically includes certain portions of rotor structure, and also selected regions in the wrist/hand structure) uniquely includes a pair of mechanical-advantage-enhancing, pantograph-type arrangements that contribute to the operational effectiveness of the invention.
The overall structure is quite simple in construction, and leads to a final doll structure wherein, for example, wrist/hand motion control is producable in very effective, efficient and realistic manners.
These and various other features and advantages that are offered by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.